Songwriter and performer Justin Townes Earle has been on the warpath as of late through his always-entertaining Twitter account, taking to task a record label for standing in the way of a new release.

On October 19th, Justin seemed to allude through Twitter that he was done writing the material for a new album, posting “I might have finally finished writing this bitch!!!! Freedom!!!!!!!!”

Then more recently the tone has turned quite sour, with Justin posting on December 15th, “I have now learned that you can never trust a bunch of babies that ain’t worked a day in their lives. May Shane McGowan kick their asses. The only thing I hate about business is that it’s frowned upon to pistol whip the competition. Tweets are gonna be angry for awhile. Just found out I won’t be making a record for a while due to a bunch of pussies in an office. Never working with another record label.”

Shane MacGowan is the former front man for the Irish rock group The Pogues.

Then on December 18th, Earle posted, “So I am being told that I agreed to write 30 songs and let the label “help” make the record. That for sent even sound like me! Like I would ever let some little twit fucking comb through my work. And calling me a liar well them is fighting words. Anytime bitch’s!”

Justin Townes Earle released his last album Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now in March of 2012 through Bloodshot Records; a label he singed with in 2007 and subsequently released 5 albums through. The ambiguity of Earle’s tweets left some fans not certain about Earle’s contractual situation thinking Bloodshot was the target of his criticism. There was never any news of Earle signing with a new label. Co-owner of Bloodshot Nan Warshaw told Saving Country Music, “When Justin Townes Earle delivered his last album “Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now”, that successfully and amicably completed his multi-album recording contract with Bloodshot Records. Bloodshot is honored to have his five releases in our catalog and to have helped launch his career. We wish Justin all the best.”

Instead it is apparently Communion Records—a British label owned by Ben Lovett, the accordion and keyboard player of Mumford & Sons, and Kevin Jones of Bear’s Den—that is drawing Justin Townes Earle’s ire. Justin clarified this today (12-19) through Twitter, saying “My rants have to do with communion records! not bloodshot. leave the good people at bloodshot alone! Badger the fucking Brits.”

Justin told VOX Magazine in April, “I’m trying to wrap up writing my next record. It’s one that I’m paying very close attention because I’ve completed my contract with Bloodshot (Records). I’m going to be moving on to probably a little bit bigger (label). I’m just trying to do my best, to be in control of my everything — producing records and all that stuff. We actually already have offers from labels. I’ve recorded one track mainly because a couple of the bigger record labels are looking at me. We made a teaser track just to say this is what we do, this is how we do it, and this is how we’re going to do it.”

The conflict appears to be with Communion Records requesting Justin turn in 30 songs that they can then vet to eventually be parred down to his next record, but Earle doesn’t have that many songs so the album-making process can’t move forward. What this means in the long run is that it could be a lwhile for new Justin Townes Earle material.

What I don't get is why he settled on a boutique label started by a Mumford. How is it better than bloodshot? Because it's some majors boutique label? I. Would think there were better more established labels that would want him.

If he's got say 15 songs completed, then he should just write another 15 really shitty songs about how Mumford and Sons are kiddie fiddlers or something and then they'll have to choose the ones he wants.

If he's got say 15 songs completed, then he should just write another 15 really shitty songs about how Mumford and Sons are kiddie fiddlers or something and then they'll have to choose the ones he wants.

A. I do, and I don’t like seeing guys in skinny jeans because they need to realize that the waist and crotch was cut for a woman which hopefully you’re not hung like a woman. I [also] don’t like shirts without collars and I don’t really wear T-shirts. My grandfather always said to wear long-sleeve shirts and if you get hot, roll the sleeves up. . . . My wife is pretty well “sleeved” in the right arm and has pieced together tattoos diagonal across her body. When she was 11, she was the national US water-skiing champion and then she did freestyle half-pipe snowboarding when she was a teenager and then started racing Super-G. Her form is absolutely stunning. Now she’s a gyrotonics teacher so she’s 6’3’’ with an amazing body and those tattoos. And I’m 6’4”.

Q. Tall couple.

A. It was kind of an immediate thing. We met four months before we spent one week together in Texas and two weeks together in Salt Lake. We got married in Tahoe about 2½ weeks ago.

Q. What did you wear?

A. We were both wearing blue jeans and flannel shirts. We just decided to do it because our families tend to complicate our lives, and we thought this is our day and has nothing to do with anybody else and we shouldn’t have to run around on our wedding day and take care of people, which is exactly what would have happened. I believe it’s not about the other people. I think a lot of women want weddings . . . but it gets completely out of control. People are spending ridiculous amounts of money on weddings. Go buy a house. Take a vacation.

Yeah. Some of the tweets were deleted but they went at it from what I was told. I found out after so only saw some of the tweets that were left on JTE's page (see around Jan 5th), ripping on some of Isbell's lyrics though I don't think that's how it started. Apparently Amanda and Isbell were both tweeting at JTE and him back at them. From my understanding they're not friends anymore. JTE doesn't follow either of them on twitter anymore.

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